On February 28, the Cabinet of Ministers issued a Steps to stimulate reduction of negative environmental impact from industrial enterprises Resolution.

The Resolution has deployed a two-phase incentive system for Category I and II enterprises based on their environmental impact.

Category I enterprises include highways, metro stations, railways, oil depots, hydroelectric power plants, energy production, battery manufacturing, cement plants, and others. Category II enterprises include wastewater treatment plants, food production, oil and dietary supplement production, rubber products, alcoholic beverages, construction materials, tanneries, poultry farms, and others (full list).

In the first phase, enterprises that have installed background air pollution monitoring stations will be entitle for:

• a write-off outstanding indemnity payments for environmental damage;
• receiving a 50% refund of indemnity payments transferred to the national budget within two years.

If, within one year of installing a monitoring station, the company installs additional dust and gas cleaning equipment and/or local wastewater treatment facilities, the refund amount will increase to 70% of the two-year indemnity payments.

The refund will be made automatically in equal installments over two years to the company's bank account through the Treasury system under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, based on a conclusion from the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change.

To receive benefits, the company must notify through the State Services Centers or the Unified Portal of Interactive Government Services (EPIGU), attaching the following:

• equipment purchase contracts and invoices;
• passports and certificates of conformity;
• documents on the actual cleaning efficiency (based on measurements from accredited laboratories).
• The committee will review the notification within 15 business days. There is no fee for review. The conclusion will be sent to the applicant electronically with a QR code, and a copy will be sent to the Treasury.

Grounds for refusal may include, among other things, an incomplete set of documents, the discovery of falsified information, or the failure of the installed equipment to meet the stated parameters. Refusals for other reasons are not permitted.

Government agencies have been ordered to file proposals within two months to include the following equipment in the list of equipment exempt from customs duties and VAT (in the absence of domestic equivalents):

• automated emission monitoring stations;
• dust and gas cleaning units;
• local wastewater treatment facilities;
• process equipment and components for their manufacturing.